Weary Blues

Weary Blues is, above all, sexy--Harlem jazz meets the Southern blues of Bessie Smith and smoky rooms, speakeasies, and pleasantly dirty thoughts. Langston Hughes is not only one of the century's finest American poets; he was the voice of black America in a time when opportunity was limited but hunger and drive were boundless. It is from his poem "Dream Montage" (included in this collection) that the superb Lorraine Hansberry play chose its title: "What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?" In his throaty, mellifluous voice, Hughes reads his words of black beauty, freedom, desire, and celebration even in times of hardship and abuse. Leonard Feather sets the first half of the disc to traditional blues and gospel bar patterns. On the remaining poems, Charles Mingus and band organically improvise a big, jazzy sound that punctuates Hughes's words. --Paige La Grone